Aren't Ladybugs Meant to Be Lucky?
by moorer3
Summary: Chat noir is absent at an akuma attack, leaving ladybug to fight alone. Later, Marinette arrives to school hiding her injury from the fight, but her luck has run out as she runs into someone she would much rather avoid. Will her friends be able to help her in time, or will hawk moth be the one to console her?
1. The sandman

Marinette, though she was ladybug who was the epitome of luck, had her fair share of bad days. She was still a clutz, and when her luck went for the worse, there was no stopping it.

Today was one of those days. Marinette had stayed up all night unable to sleep, because nightmares kept her up. Chat hadn't visited her lately, and everyone seemed to be distancing themselves from her, or maybe she was distancing herself from them. She couldn't tell, all she knew was that having a double life was far less manageable when there was an akuma attack three to four times a week.

So Marinette's horrible night just bled into the early hours of the morning when she heard a shrill scream. Marinette immediately woke tikki and transformed into ladybug.

She eventually found the akuma, but there was no chat in sight. She would have to face the akuma on her own, while exhausted.

"I'm the sandman! All shall sleep eternally! Never shall they be awoken by pesky children in the early hours of the morning! All shall be happy again!"

Ladybug sighed, and avidly looked for where the akuma was, while avoiding the sand being thrown at her, which she assumed would put her to sleep. As she finally got close to sandman, he turned and kicked her with such force she slammed into a building across the street. She slid down and groaned, hoping nothing broke, but she was sure she heard something snap. When she stood, her legs seemed steady enough, though she swayed on her feet. She soon found that her left shoulder was the problem area, when she had meant to move it and dealt a pain so strong she almost screamed.

After an agonizingly long battle, ladybug found the akuma was inside the nightcap sandman was wearing, and she finally got it free and forced the akuma out.

"Bye, bye... Little butterfly..."

Ladybug then dropped to her knees in pain, and delicately cupped her shoulder. She then got up a minute after to attend to the confused civilian, whom she discovered was very sleep deprived because his children woke him up constantly in the early morning. Ladybug sent him off to go home, and then slowly went to her own.

She then released the transformation and collapsed on the ground in her bedroom.

"Marinette! Are you okay?!" Tikki asked her worried.

Marinette barely had enough energy but told her, "if fine counts as breaking something in your shoulder, sure. Oh no! It's almost time for school! I can't miss school or people will suspect something!"

"Marinette, you can't go hurt that badly!"

"Tikki I have no way of explaining this injury. The cuts and bruises were easily covered with makeup, but this will be harder. Can you go into the bathroom cabinet? I have some bandages in there."

Tikki then flew into the bathroom and got the bandages, and then helped Marinette bandage the shoulder.

Marinette then ran from the bakery to school hoping she wouldn't be late again, for if she was, she would surely get in trouble. As she ran up the steps, she felt her shoulder throbbing, but was doing her best to not move it.

Marinette jumped into the room seconds before the bell rang, and she let out a sigh of relief. She then walked to her seat, ignoring Chloé's usual glares in her direction. She then took her seat, and prepared herself for a horrible day.

Authors note: hey guys! Glad you showed interest in the story! I'll try to post at good intervals, but I do have another story I am managing, so if you want to check that out, do it! It's more of a fluff story while his one will be plot based. Sorry if this is bad, at least I'm trying! Any suggestions, questions, or comments in general are appreciated! Okay bye! 3


	2. The descent

Alya had been planning a truly amazing party for Marinette's birthday, with the help of Nino, who had been akumatized over this topic, but was truly the best party thrower. Maybe they were taking too long on the planning, but when you are just with your boy friend... Some kissing may distract you.

As much as Alya hated it, she avoided Marinette, because she was horrid at keeping secrets. Nino was worse than her, but still, neither of them were really talented in the arts of keeping a secret.

Alya, whom one would think is observant, for she was a blogger and journalist, but she didn't really pay attention to how Marinette was reacting to her recent, but temporary, avoidance. Maybe she should have noticed.. No... She needed to notice.

Marinette not knowing the secret party, for why would she know? It is a secret. Marinette started to think she did something wrong, and worried endlessly as she lay on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling, with her sketches and designs thrown to the corner of her desk collecting dust. It had only been a week, but the silence between herself and Alya was torturing her, and she kept a mental list of what she may have done wrong, and all of the items on the list were the times she's had to cancel plans because of her responsibilities as Ladybug. That night was a difficult one for Marinette, for early in the morning she had to face the Sandman.

That's what led up to Marinette arriving just before the the bell, as usual, sitting dazed in her seat. She was glad Tikki fixed her shoulder up as well as she could, but bandages only go so far when the damage is down in the bone. She knew she should probably see someone, but she was too stubborn and she had no way to explain the injury.

Her luck was really running out, and it honestly had crossed her mind to blame Chat, convinced he was rubbing off on her, but instantly felt bad for blaming her partner. It wasn't his fault he was likely busy. Well, she would have to worry about that later, because now she had to try and fight through the pain she was in, and pay attention to the impending class.

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Marinette sighed as she left the classroom, glad the class was over, for she had gotten chewed out for not paying attention. As she walked out of the class, she was glad she didn't run into anyone on the way into the cafeteria, but apparently her luck would only go so far.

"Oh Sabrina look! It's Maritrash! Not the perfect teachers pet anymore hmmm? What on your worthless mind? It better not be my adrikens!"

Marinette sighed once again at the snotty blond, and just walked past Chloé, who didn't take well to being ignored. For retribution Chloé stuck out her foot and tripped the passing blunette when she tried to pass her.

Marinette saw herself falling towards the ground and stuck out her arm to break her fall, and luckily, it was her good arm. Marinette grunted as she fell on the ground, and winced as she felt her wrist sprain. This really wasn't her day. Marinette slowly got up again and met the glare of the rich blond.

"Enjoy your fall Maritrash?"

"Thanks Chloé, but I'm not going to waste my time on you. Thanks anyways. I'll be leaving now, don't catch up."

Marinette then walked towards the staircase to descend to the main entrance, Chloé became even more daring, and evil, than before, and shoved Marinette as she started walking down the stairs. Chloé wasn't particularly strong, but the shove she gave to her nemesis was strong enough to send her toppling.

Marinette had fallen down quite a good amount of stairs when she then collided with a body. Adrien was looking down at her with a look of pure horror, the reaction based off of the events he just saw transpire, and touched Marinette's shoulder to try and calm her, not knowing that the reaction would be the complete opposite. At Adrien's touch, which Marinette would normally revere, she screamed for the first time during this time, and the black dots that had been clouding her vision, overcame her until she could no longer see or feel. Then, she knew no more.

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Author's note: hey guys! I hope this isn't too horrible, because I've been busy, and I'm actually liking how this is turning out. And yes I ended on a cliff hanger, but I'm not sure if this is even good and aghhhhh... But any whoosies, I appreciate reviews, because they really help motivate me when I am writing. Okay, I hope you guys liked this! Bye!

Oh ps! This is a reveal fic, the reveal will be coming some time later. Just wanted you guys to know!

Authors note: well. I just realized something that makes me feel pretty dumb. The symbols I use to transition the text apparently don't show up when I post? So yeah, I'm sorry about that, now I have to update the chapter I literally posted a minute ago! Agh. Sorry guys!


	3. Good day, gone bad

Adrien was actually having a pretty good day, and he was glad for that. Maybe his lady was rubbing off on him. He was thankful that the was no akuma attack, at least to his knowledge, because his father had actually wanted to speak to Adrien and have breakfast with him! Adrien was very excited, and told Plagg that, many, many times, to which Plagg got annoyed but listened anyways, at the price of a wheel of Camembert of course!

"Plagg! He finally wants to talk to me! Like, actually talk, well I hope he actually wants to talk. What if he just wants to talk about school? Or my schedule? Oh no, what if he doesn't actually want to talk to me, what if-"

"Adrien. You're rambling. Seriously, Camembert doesn't talk this much, and you really question why I love it? Goodness silly humans. Speaking of silly humans, shouldn't you be heading to go eat breakfast with your father...?"

Adrien glanced at his watch and jumped up from his chair, and sprinted towards the door.

"Psh, silly humans." And with that, Plagg made sure to enjoy his Camembert nice and slow, now that Adrien couldn't rush him for once.

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"Good morning Adrien. Sit down. Uh... Please."

Adrien, who was prepared for anything, or at least he thought he was, was surely not expecting his father to act... well kind and caring. Adrien sat down in shock and struggled to think up a reply.

"Um... Good morning to you too father... Are you um... Feeling well?"

Adrien's father looked at him calculatingly, and sighed.

"I have been well, but I wish to speak to you about something. I'll tell you in a moment, but first you should choose what you want to eat."

Adrien nodded to his father and turned to the butler and ordered a stack of waffles with fruit, and a glass of milk on the side. Adrien was glad at the nod his father gave him when he ordered, because he never really had opportunities to have anything sugary, or relatively "normal" foods. Adrien, while excited his father was speaking to him way more than usual, was worried because if his father wanted to speak him and it took this long, it must be serious.

When the butler had came back he glanced down at his waffles, and was practically drooling, but looked towards his father and almost laughed. Adrien had not heard what his father had ordered, but it turned out to be a stack of pancakes which the cooks had turned into smiley faces. His father only gave a grin and dug into his meal, and Adrien followed suit.

He eagerly devoured his meal and chugged his glass of milk, savoring the taste. Now that Adrien had finished his breakfast he had nothing to distract him from worrying about what his father wanted to talk to him about. Adrien shook his leg absentmindedly while thinking of all the possible things that would be so important to cause his father to call him down out of the ordinary.

A clearing of his father's throat jostled him out of his thoughts, and Adrien gulped deeply. He the turned towards his father, hoping, that this was something good.

His father seemed to be thinking of what to say, or more precisely, how to word it. After a minute or so, he cleared his throat again and started, "Adrien, something important has come to my attention, and I must say I'm disappointed I never noticed before, or did anything to fix it. I have come to realize that... well... since the disappearance of your mother, I've been distant from you. I must apologize for this, and would hope you give me the chance to explain. I... well I loved your mother deeply, and she was my world, I would do anything for her, and she would for me. We were happy, we always were, and we were very excited when we discovered we were having you. I was going to be a father, having a child with my newly married wife, for it had only been a year, and I was so proud. When you were born, I... it was one of the happiest moment of my life. We brought you home, and started raising you to be the gentleman you are today," he then took a quick sip of water and continued.

"We were happy for many years, and then... she was just gone. We never fought, nothing ever happened to lead me to believe it was my fault that she left, but I was doubtful. Maybe it was my fault, at least that is what I thought then at least. I know now that it isn't my fault, nor yours, but back then I didn't understand that. I started burying myself in the search parties and investigations trying to find her, but nothing ever was found, not a trace at all. By then I had lost hope, and then buried myself in work to distract myself from thinking about her, because whenever I did, it hurt deep down. I thought working more was good for you and me, I figured I could provide for you and make sure you never had to worry financially, ever. I did not realize however, that as a consequence of me working more, I was seeing you even less. It was never my intention to do that, and I still deeply regret it, though it seems you have become quite the gentleman with out me, so maybe it was for the better. But anyways, I worked constantly for years, drifting from you more and more. When it was time, or when I thought it was time, I started giving you schedules, so you wouldn't have to think of your mother and hurt like me. I... I understand now that I should have given you a good childhood and freedom, but I was worried you would waste away in despair like I was. I... I know you are a strong young man, and know that you could take this conversation. I just... I just wanted you to know I'm so sincerely sorry, and I know you may not, well should not, ever forgive me, and I just wanted you to know it was all my fault, and never yours."

Adrien was in shock by the end of his fathers tirade, and was so overwhelmed, but... felt very calm and happy. Adrien then stood, and walked to his father. He stood beside his father, who had yet to look up, because he was trying to subtlety wipe his tears. Adrien tapped his shoulder, which caused his father to jolt and look up at Adrien. At that, Adrien left towards his father giving him a long overdue hug.

"I forgive you."

Those three words. Simple, but very important to his father. He would never forget those three words. Those three words meant the world to him, and he smiled, knowing that from now on, it would be better.

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Adrien was filled with happiness and was very excited to tell Nino that him and his father were starting to repair the once broken relationship. Adrien waved a happy farewell to his driver and practically skipped up to the school. When he reached his seat he sat down and started humming, waiting for his friends to show up. When Nino walked into the room Adrien gladly talked his ear off, and didn't even notice Alya walking in, or the fact that Marinette didn't show up until just before the bell.

Adrien had a problem focusing in his classes, but tried his best because he didn't want to disappoint his father when he was hoping to get better with him. He figured he would just have to try his best to impress his father, but from what happened in the morning, he was sure that even if he messed up, it would be okay.

That left Adrien just skimming through his classes with the minimum amount of attention possible, and gladly left the room when the bell rang. Maybe, just maybe, he could do something with his father tonight.

Adrien walked down the stairs and walked through he cafeteria in record time, and made the final descent down the last stair case faster than he thought possible. He reached his hand to the door, and retracted it quickly. He mentally cursed himself, for he had forgot to get his fencing uniform from the gym in his rush, and made his way back up the staircase.

As he started climbing up the long staircase, he heard some voices that didn't sound too friendly. He was trying to place the voices, and it clicked. It had to be Chloé and Marinette. He looked up just in time to see something he had never thought he would see. Marinette was toppling down the stairs, which had to hurt horribly, and he looked in horror. He only let himself be shocked for a second before running to try and stop her fall.

She had already fallen down a good amount of the stairs by the time he reached her, but he finally reached her, and ended up stopping her with his body. She was crumpled on the stairs, but amazingly she was conscious. He squatted down to her level so fast he heard his knee pop, and touched her shoulder, not thinking anything bad would happen.

He realized how wrong he was and she screamed a scream so loud, he thought it would never leave his head, and he had to admit to himself, it probably never would. He was panicking already, but when she fainted, he was on a whole new level. He dully heard the sound of foot steps retreating from above, ignored them, and just scooped Marinette into his arms as delicately possible.

Adrien once again ran down the stairs, much more delicately with Marinette in tow, and rushed outside the building. He let his eyes just only for a second so he could find Natalie, and once he found her, he saw her expression go from mildly frustrated, to a look of worry.

"Adrien who is that? What happened? What is-"

"Natalie," Adrien said in a tone that immediately halted her questions, "We need to go to the hospital. Now."

Adrien sat in the back, and treated Marinette like glass that might shatter any minute, but held her like a life line. How could this happen? Had Chloé done this? Is so, how could she do this? What had Marinette ever done to her? Would Marinette be okay? Why did he feel like he was suffocating from unknown feelings that were consuming him? She was only a friend right? What could he do? Maybe his lady wasn't rubbing off on him after all. This could just be his bad luck striking again. As thoughts ran through his mind, the tires drove even faster, racing to get to the hospital. Maybe, Adrien hoped, maybe she would be okay...at least, that is what he hoped.

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Authors note: hey guys...*akwardly rubs the back of my neck and clears throat*... Well. Here it is. I'm really sorry for my inactivity. I've been extremely busy with school and band, and I've barley had any free time, and I haven't had the will to force myself to write. I'm sorry for the long wait, and I will hopefully be posting more often, but I wrote a longer chapter for those that asked for it, I hope it is good, and I hope you guys can forgive me. Thank you for not giving up on the story. If you would like to give me suggestions, comments, ask questions, heck... I don't care if you flame me either. Any feedback is helpful for me. Well uhhmmmmm... Thanks guys... Okay bye


	4. A smile of relief

A steady beeping sound filled the silence of the room. If ears were strained, they could hear a shaky and unsteady breath emitted from the petit girl lying on a plain bed. The girl looked like she was being consumed by tubes that were overlaying her arms, legs, stomach, everywhere.

The sterilized smell was similar to lemons, but not quite, and the smell was torturing the boy sitting next to the girl. The boy, had a head full of blond hair, bright green eyes, and was sitting with one hand clutched with the girls, and the other supported his hunched over body. The beep kept the same tone. The same speed. Same tone. Speed. Tone. Speed. Beep...beep...beep...beep...

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Adrien's head snapped up when he heard it, or more of what he didn't hear. The beep was gone. Silence. Silence. No beep. Where was the beep?

He clutched Marinette's hand tighter, and looked frantically at all the machines that contained numbers and patterns he could not understand. He spent one more second trying to desipher the codes, and just decided to slam down the nurse button. He hit the button, and less than a second later a beep filled the room. This beep... it wasn't the same, and it sent chills down Adrien's spine. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppppppppppppppppp.

Adrien was shaking and frantic, then a nurse ran into the room with the Doctor fresh on her heels.

"Get the defibrillator! We need to make her stable again!"

Adrien could no longer hear what the doctors and nurses were saying, it sounded like a jumbled mess of words that sounded nothing like the English language.

He felt like he was drowning, his chest was tight, he couldn't breathe, all he could do, was stare at Marinette's body as they tried to start her heart again. He dully noted that some Doctor tried steering him closer to the wall and out of the way, but he didn't care. He just looked at Marinette.

Maybe, maybe Adrien was dying too. Maybe he wasn't drowning, but had already drowned. Adrien, felt as if... his heart had stopped along Marinette's.

Beep... Beep...

Adrien's eyes widened, and he pushed to get closer to Marinette. The beep, it was back! She was back, she was alive. Adrien looked around the room at the relieved looking nurses and doctors, and felt so thankful for what they had done. Maybe he'd show up as Chat and thank them.

Adrien once again sat down where he had previously sat, and once again gripped Marinette's hand, and was glad to feel warmth in it. She wasn't gone, she hadn't died. She was alive and there.

Adrien finally let a small smile grace his face.

...(MLB)...

AN: I'm so sorry for the hiatus! My only device I can write and post on had been in repairs for a whole month! I just got it today, so I wrote this and posted it as soon as possible. Please, please, PLEASE be patient with me. I'm very busy, but I'm trying to write as much, as fast as I can! Thanks!


	5. I will make this right

Chloé felt conflicted, for maybe the first time in her life. She prided herself in being confident... maybe slightly arrogant, but she never questioned what she was doing. Whether it was wrong or right, Chloé, would never falter... until now.

Chloé had been spoiled, yes, it was true. But Chloé felt that she was never spoiled in the way she had wanted. Sure, she had materialistic things, practically everything she demanded, except the attention of her parents.

Chloé wanted more than anything to have her parents pay attention to her, so she resorted to being demanding. She demanded things from her parents, but it never really resulted in the way she wanted. She got physical things, not the love she had desired.

So, Chloé was left to herself, with any physical thing she wanted, feeling quite lonely, while her mother was always somewhere other than where Chloé was, and her father busy with being the mayor. So, Chloé just demanded, and demanded, which was the only thing she knew how to do well anymore.

And, when Chloé was around the age of six, she had made her first friend. It was a moment Chloé wouldn't let go, even in her last moments.

It had been a normal day, Chloé once again alone, with just the maids waiting at her beck and call, when she snuck out of the hotel. The sun was shining so brightly that Chloé had to shield her eyes, and when they adjusted, she decided to walk to the nearby park.

When she got there, she saw many children laughing and playing with each other, and Chloé didn't know how to join in. Instead, Chloé decided to watch for a while, until she felt someone's presence beside her. Chloé turned, with her mouth about to form words, but stopped short when she saw him. It was a boy who was a few inches taller than her, even at their young age, and he had perfect looking blond hair, and green eyes that made her feel like staring.

The boy looked at her a smiled a toothy grin, "Hi! I'm Adrien! I saw you were lonely, so I decided to sit by you."

Chloé just stared at him, and gave him a small smile accompanied with a nod.

From that moment, they had been friends. Chloé told her father about him, and Adrien told his father about her. They were able to play together, so long as Adrien wasn't busy with shoots or his studies. As they grew older, they still talked and hung out, but it was starting to become less and less. Adrien was getting too busy with his modeling, fencing, and his studies, to talk to her.

Chloé was alone again, and it hurt, but this time she knew someone was there for her. It was then, that she realized she liked, if not loved him.

So, Chloé became possessive over him, because she didn't want to lose him, like she had with everyone else. She prided in herself for being good enough, if not perfect for Adrien, until now.

Chloé hadn't meant to push Marinette down. Well... She did, but she regretted it immediately. Chloé had let her anger get the best of her, and she went too far.

She saw the look of fear, anger, sadness, and most of all, pain, all held within the eyes of Marinette. That look, has been haunting her since, and all she did was run. She ran away, and she hid, and she was a coward.

And now, here she was, holed up in her room, shaking profusely. Tears which she tried to hold back gently left her eyes, creating a river down her face.

Chloé took one last deep breath, wiped the tears off her face, and held a determined look on her face.

"I will make this right."

...MLB...

AN. Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, and I'm sorry how short and crappy this chapter is. I'm not usually a Chloe supporter, but I feel like I will let her redeem herself in this fic. Over time, maybe with a few bumps in the road, maybe, they will forgive her. And also, I'm sorry how choppy and random this chapter was, I wasn't really sure how to write it, so I'll admit I'm not really satisfied, but it'll hopefully make sense. So okay... Rate, review, flame, whatever you want me to know please! Feedback is really encouraging and helps me get motivated to write! Bye guys!


	6. Yellow roses

Flowers... but what kind to get? They all mean so many different things, and Chloé honestly didn't know how to get her point across.

Chloé was currently alone, away from Sabrina, and wearing casual clothes for the first time in a very long time. Chloé had decided to take a deep breath, and change herself, so she let her feet take her to... a flower shop.

The smell of the sweet flowers filled Chloé's nose, and she would have relaxed, if it weren't for the situation causing her to be here. The small shop, had a nice variety of fresh flowers, but Chloé didn't know what kind to get for Marinette. She hated to admit it, but she had been standing in the small shop for at least thirty minutes, and still has no clue what meaning she wanted to portray.

Flowers had meanings, meanings in which Chloé knew all too well. She had studied the language of flowers, and knew what almost every flower meant, but here she was unsure.

A sigh escaped her lips for what seemed like the hundredth time, and it may have actually been that number. She honestly didn't think Marinette knew what flowers meant, but she didn't care. Chloé wanted to get her a gift that meant something.

Red and pink flowers suited Marinette, but the meanings were way off, because Chloé did not feel romantically attracted to Marinette, so she steered clear from those.

There was one flower that Chloé was considering, but she was worried about the message. It was an innocent message, sure, but she didn't know how Marinette would take it.

A clearing of a throat behind her made her jump and spin around to face the source, which was a happy looking brunette adult, whom she assumed was the owner of the shop.

"Would you like any help miss? You've been in my shop quite a while, and I'm not complaining, but you look like you could use a bit of help."

Chloé relaxed as the woman spoke, the tone was so soothing, she didn't even notice her reaction to the woman's voice.

"Well... I'm looking for flowers. Well obviously, I'm in a flowers shop, I probably didn't have to tell you that... Heh heh... But um, I'm trying to find the right flowers to tell someone how I feel."

The woman tilted her head to the side slightly, her smile still in place, and Chloé was glad that the woman didn't ask about why she sounded so nervous. Chloé was normally quite fine with speaking, but for some reason, she felt so out of her zone. A voice cut her out of those thoughts and Chloé immediately focused her attention on the woman again.

"Well, I'm assuming that you know the language of the flowers then, which is nice. Not many kids your age do these days. Well, since you know what they mean, and as do I, I can assume your feelings aren't romantic or remorseful in nature correct?"

At the slight nod Chloé gave her, the woman continued,

"That's what I thought. You've been avoiding all the red, pink, and black flowers. Maybe you're looking for friendship? Yellow roses would be perfect for friendship, and I've noticed that you've been looking at them subconsciously, so I think that is what you're looking for. Would you like some?"

Chloé once again gave the woman a nod with a small smile accompanying it this time. She followed the woman to the counter and preceded to buy five yellow roses in a small vase, and a stuffed animal of a ladybug she saw at the counter.

Chloé left the shop with the small smile remaining on her face, and was glad that the nice woman had helped her. How all Chloé had to do was deliver these to Marinette. This wasn't going to be easy.

With one more sigh, Chloé walked towards the direction of the hospital.

...MLB...

Chloé looked up at the building it had taken a thirty minute walk to arrive to, and gulped. She hesitated on the steps of the hospital, wondering if she could really do this. With a deep breath, Chloé walked through the automatic doors, and located the front desk.

"Hello sweetie, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I'm here to see... a friend of mine. Her name is Marinette Dupain- Cheng?"

The man behind the counter typed the name on the computer, told her the room number, and sent her off with a smile.

Chloé then explored the third floor of the hospital with a mantra of "room 352. 352."

After a few wrong turns, Chloé found her way to the room, and stood outside. She had come this far, and was not about to back down. She gripped the animal tightly, and pushed open the door.

The sight she saw tugged at her heart, and made her feel a hundred times worse than she originally had. Her eyes were taking in the sight of the boring white room, with Marinette on a plain bed with white sheets, and she seemed to be swimming in tubes and wires, and to the right of Marinette, there was a mop of blond hair.

Chloé was surprised to see someone there, let alone Adrien. How did he know what happened? Was he the one that found her? Where were Marinette's parents?

Chloé just stood where she was for at least a solid minute, hardly breathing, unsure of what to do. Chloé then decided to warn Adrien of her presence, because the boy was so busy in holding Marinette's hand like he was the one that needed a life line, and he was just staring at the ground below him.

"Adrien?"

A pair of intense green eyes staring in to hers was her only response for Chloé to thirty seconds. After that, it seemed to click in Adrien's tired mind, and he spoke to her.

"Chloé? What are you doing here?"

Chloé shuffled her feet awkwardly, and gripped the vase of flowers tightly. Chloé cleared her throat and tried to think of something to say. All that came out was her feeble voice telling Adrien,

"I um... I brought Marinette flowers and a ladybug... you know.. a um, get well present?"

Adrien's eyes narrowed at her, and Chloé flinched back at his stare.

"How did you know she was hurt? There hasn't been any announcement. She hasn't missed a day of school, because it's been the same day, so you wouldn't know. Even if she was missing, how did you know she would be here. So let me repeat my question. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

Chloé wasn't surprised at his anger, he brought up completely valid points, and she had to answer honestly, but she was scared that he would get even angrier at her.

"I um... I knew about her getting hurt because..." Chloé's voice started fading, "I'm the one who hurt her..."

If it hadn't been for Adrien's cat like hearing, her wouldn't have heard her fading words, and Adrien really wished he hadn't been able to. Rage bubbled up inside him and showed up on his face. How dare someone hurt Marinette, the girl who was always kind, brave... pretty... no. Not going there.

Adrien tried to force back his anger with deep breaths, and clutched Marinette's hand slightly tighter, but was sure not to hurt her.

All that he could say was, "Why?", in a sad, broken voice. He was tired, drained, worried, and here Chloé comes, after hurting one of his few friends.

He glanced at the items in Chloé's hands, and took in her appearance. Chloé was wearing a tee-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, which looked like they had never been worn, which was probably true. He glanced back up to see Chloé trying to force words out of her mouth, but they didn't come.

A cold "So?", pushed her to answer.

"I feel bad, and I'm trying to change. I've always been jealous of her because everyone likes her and hates me, so I took it out on her ever since I knew her. My anger got away from me today, and I feel so bad, and I know I can never be forgiven, but I wanted to give her something."

All the words Chloé spoke were rushed, so Adrien took a second to process what she had told him. He didn't understand. She was jealous of Marinette, so she let her jealously take over? After he thought about it, it did sound like Chloé.

Adrien warily looked at her, and motioned for her to put the flowers and the ladybug on the nightstand to Marinette's left side. Adrien also saw Chloé put a letter next to the vase, and backed away from the table and Marinette.

"I um... I'm going to let you be. I... I'll come visit after she wakes. I... I'll see you later Adrien."

And with those words, Chloé head towards the door, and rest her hand on the knob. As she turned the knob and started to push it open, she stopped, and turned to Adrien.

"Adrien... Why aren't her parents here...?"

Adrien didn't bother to look at her, but answered her despite who she was.

"They are at a baking convention in London. They've been gone for a week, and they can't come back until another two. Happy?"

Chloé flinched at his voice, which had come completely devoid of emotion, gave a small nod and goodbye, and left the room.

After a few minutes, Adrien looked up from Marinette's hand, and looked to her left. What he saw made him scoff slightly. Yellow roses. Do you think you can really achieve friendship after what you've done Chloé? Good luck with that.

Adrien rested his head on Marinette's temporary bed, and drifted off to sleep.

The last thought drifting through his mind was, 'Yellow roses? Good luck Chloé.'

...MLB...

AN: hey guys! I hope you like the latest chapter! Tell me how you feel in the comments, flame, critic, anything! Well... Except that guest who put "more mas more mas" about a million times in just one comment... Thanks... But no thanks. See you with the next chapter!


	7. Nightmares, emptiness, and worry

A high pitched ring of a phone jostled Adrien awake, and his green eyes snapped open, trying to waken his tired mind and body. His arm fished his phone out of his pocket, and put the screen under his face so he could see the caller, Natalie.

Adrien sighed as he hit the call button, "Yes Natalie?"

"Adrien, your father wants you home, so you will have to come down to the lobby, we have the limo waiting outside."

Adrien grunted a response, and layer his head back down on the blank bed, which he refused to call Marinette's. His tired green eyes searched the jungle that Marinette currently inhabited, and then closed his eyes. He didn't like seeing anyone hurt, let alone one of his best friends.

"Adrien? I know this is hard, but visiting hours are ending soon, and you really need to work on school work. You can visit tomorrow. Your father is worried."

Adrien finally gave Natalie a true response, and hung up the phone. He stood up slowly to let his aching limbs stretch, and looked down at his hand which had Marinette's held within it. He didn't want to let it go, but he slowly convinced himself to pry his hand off of hers, and he delicately moved her hand to rest upon the bed.

Adrien slowly backed away from the white room, white sheets, and the splash of yellow and red that resided on the table. Through the door Adrien went, and a click of it shutting created a silence, to which he could no longer hear the machines and monitors working.

Adrien walked along the hallways, rode down the elevator, and approached the limo outside, in the way a shell of a person would. He had so many emotions and thoughts shoving their way to the front of his brain, and it made him tired mentally and physically.

Adrien stepped inside his limo, and settled down into the seat, turning his head to face out the window, dully registering what was actually outside the said window.

...MLB...

 _A figure of red leapt across buildings, adding flourishes such as twirls and flips to the pathway they were following. A smile so beautiful graced the face of the red figure, and it stunned all who looked, but it attracted the one clocked in black the most._

 _They were an odd pair, one in red dressed as a ladybug would be, the one in black dressed as a cat. Paris no longer found this pair odd, and they celebrated the two saviors._

 _The cat caught up to the bug and started to address her, "My lady? Are you alright?"_

 _Her smile never left her face, but it started to seem fake and forced. She didn't reply with words, and only used her smile as an answer._

 _"My lady? I'm worried about you..."_

 _A smile that was so sweet and kind, morphed into a cruel one accompanied with a maniacal laugh._

 _"You? Worry? About me? Aw, you're soooo funny you little devil! This is all your fault! This is all because of your luck! Look at what you've done!"_

 _The black clad boy stood still, rooted in spot because of the shock the took hold of him. He watched in horror as the Ladybug he loved changed until it was a different girl stading in her wake. This girl, had tubes and machines which seemed to be drowning her, and she struggled to stay afloat above the huge pool of tubes._

 _"Chat! Adrien! Help me! Help! I can't..."_

 _And with those cries, the girl quickly began to disappear under the ocean of tubes which seemed to multiply. The boy, in which she just called for, leapt into action by digging in the tubes trying to find her, but found himself to be held back by tubes. A high pitched beep filled the air, and sustained itself as the machines began to shut down and power off. All the boy could do, was scream._

...MLB...

"ADRIEN! WAKE UP!"

With those words, Adrien shot up from his bed, covered in sweat, out of breath, and confused. A black blur flew in front of his face, and his groggy mind takes a few moments to register just what that blur was.

"Plagg...?"

"Finally. You were having a nightmare, and your screaming was getting obnoxious."

Adrien rolled his eyes at the cat, untangled himself from his covers, and headed to shower. Adrien made sure the water was nice and hot, and let himself relax.

Unknown to Adrien, Plagg sighed in exhaustion as soon as Adrien closed the bathroom door. Plagg the rubber his small eyes tiredly, and floated down to a plate of cheese.

Plagg was worried about Adrien, but he always tried to hide the fact he cared. Plagg showed his worry for Adrien, by being demanding, and distracting him from his worries. Adrien's dreams was something that Plagg always dreaded. Being connected with his chosen let him feel their emotions, and see his dreams. Over the many hundred of thousands of years, Plagg had gotten used to plenty of emotions, fears, and nightmares. And those always made Plagg worry.

Another sigh escaped Plagg as he slowly reached for a small slice of cheese and nibbled it absentmindedly. Plagg was always worried about two people, his chosen, and Tikki.

He was sure that Tikki was in a bad state, and was probably worrying over her chosen, and neglecting to take care of herself. Whenever Adrien next visited Marinette, Plagg decided to come prepared with cookies, and sneak away to speak with her. With a plan in mind, Plagg let himself rest slightly, and waited for Adrien to be ready for school.

...MLB...

The morning routine was the same as usual, and the same could be said for the ride to school. As soon as Adrien stepped outside the limo, is where things started to be different.

Chloé, for once, did not smother him as soon as he exited the vehicle. As Adrien dully looked around, he didn't see Chloé in sight. Adrien shook his thoughts away from Chloé, because that would lead him to think about Marinette, and that wasn't something he felt he was ready for.

Adrien walked to his class, mumbling hello's to those he passed, and opened the door after a deep breath. He stepped into the room, and his eyes passed over his classmates. Rose was conversing with Juleka, Nathaniel drawing, Chloé sitting and staring out the window, max and the others all laughing about something, and last, Alya and Nino who seemed to be talking about something serious. Adrien regulated his breathing, and sat down in his seat, mumbling a greeting to Nino.

Adrien then rested his arms on the desk, and his head soon followed, as he tried to ignore the empty seat behind him. He then heard Nino clear his throat, as if getting ready to talk to him, but he was only to be cut off by Alya.

"Adrien. Have you heard from Marinette? She hasn't responded to my texts, and I can't get ahold of her parents. Adrien, what's-"

A harsh cool tone of the principal speaking over the intercom interrupted Adrien's interrogation with,

"Chloé Bourgeois, come to my office IMMEDIATELY."

...MLB...

AN: hey guys! I'm so sorry for the wait, but I've been really busy. I thought I had to move, then I didn't, then I had band camp pop up, and now school is starting next week. I'll make sure to post when I can, and I hope you all enjoy! Reviews help motivate me, but I'm not about to beg for any. Critics are allowed, I don't mind. Bye!


	8. The gift

Sabrina walked on through the hallways, past the cafeteria, and stopped at a familiar staircase. The staircase was once again clean, the blood that was once there left no trace that could be seen. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to see it, but Sabrina could see it as clear as she could the sun.

Sabrina took a few breaths in and out, trying to calm her racing heart. This guilt was suffocating, and she was trying to stay afloat.

Sabrina started descending the stairs as soon as a message was sent throughout the intercom system, "Chloé Bourgeois, come to my office IMMEDIATELY."

After hearing the principals cold tone, she started shaking in fear. Would Chloé get her in trouble too? Why did they even do this? Would she not be able to go to a school again? What should she do?

Sabrina tried to once again calm her beating heart, but she couldn't, and was starting to panic. Sabrina raced down the stairs that she was previously scared of, and flew out of the school. As her feet led her away from the school, she started to breathe once again. Sabrina let her feet take her away, and she didn't care where, that is, until she ended up in front of a closed bakery.

Sabrina gasped as she saw what bakery she was in front of, and tears started to flow from her previously dry eyes. Sabrina walked closer to the bakery in morbid fascination, and took it all in. The building in front of her was closed, the lights off, no fresh bread, and a bright pink piece of paper was taped to the front door. The building wasn't remarkable architecturally, but it still had an almost magical quality to it. One could tell that the bakery was owned by people who loved it, their family, and baking, but now, it was cold and empty.

Sabrina stepped forward until she was able to see the print on the page, and after reading it, she felt even worse than she already did.

To any customers,

We would like to inform you that the bakery will be shut down for the next three weeks to the next month, because we will be at a baking convention in London. Please forgive us for any inconvenience this has caused, and we hope to see you around soon!

-Tom and Sabine Dupain&Cheng

Sabrina backed away slowly from the vibrant letter, and tried to wipe away the tears that were still streaming from her eyes. Marinette was hurt, in the hospital no doubt, she was a coward who ran away, and Marinette's parents couldn't get to her. Marinette wouldn't be able to have any contact with her parents for at least two weeks, so she was probably in the hospital... alone. Sabrina finally dried her tears, turned from the bakery and headed to her house.

...MLB...

Walking to the front counter, Sabrina saw a happy looking man.

"Uhm... Hello sir. I'd like to see a friend of mine? Her name is Marinette..."

The kind man interrupted with a, "Dupain-Cheng?"

After he got an affirmative nod, his face displayed sympathy.

"I'm sorry sweety, she's currently in surgery."

Sabrina's eyes widened, and stuttered out, "S-surgery?!"

"I'm sorry Hun, there's been some complications with her shoulder, it was shattered, and now they have to go back and fix it. She won't be open to visitors for two days. Sorry."

With that, Sabrina looked downcast at her filled hands, and dared to ask a question, "Sir? If you don't mind, could you give this gift to her? I just want her to have it..."

The man gladly took the item, and with that, Sabrina walked home, not really bothered by the fact that she had skipped a whole day of school.

...MLB...

Steven had been having a fine day working at the hospital, nothing too exciting happened, and nothing was out of the normal. After walking into the break room, he clocked out and walked to his locker. He opened his locker, revealing his phone, wallet, and change of clothes, but he did notice there was one item that was not his, and it took him a moment to remember where it came from. A girl with red hair had come up to him, in the prior hours of the day, and this was the package she held. He removed the gift from his locker, and grabbed the rest of his items, then removed his scrubs, closing his locker door after. He then walked out of the break room, then headed to the computer behind the desk, typing a name he had heard three times in the past two days.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng... Room 352, is it? Huh. Third floor then," he mumbled to himself, and with that he walked towards the stairs, and ascended until he reached the third floor. He easily found the room he was looking for, and stepped inside.

The sight didn't really surprise him, he'd been in a hospital for far to long, for anything like that to surprise him. Although not surprised, he still found it sad that the poor girl was all alone in the plain white room. True, she did have a vase of yellow roses, with a stuffed animal in the shape of a ladybug, but the room still seemed empty.

Steven looked down into his hands, this package, the reason he was here. He slowly unwrapped the paper around it, making sure whatever it was, was safe, and let out a small sigh. Whether the sigh was out of relief or sadness, he did not know, but he looked at what he held. It was a beautiful blanket, which seemed to be hand made, and had a scene of a black cat rolling around in a meadow, playing with a little ladybug. The details where quite clear and realistic, and the fabric was so soft.

He walked over closer to the girls bed, "Marinette's", he corrected himself, and draped the blanket over her, and then reached over and grabbed the ladybug off the side table, and tucked it in with her too.

Steven backed away, and looked at the dull room, which seemed to be slightly brighter, despite the fact that the room itself hadn't actually changed. Poor thing, the girl had friends who cared about her, or at least seemed to, but she looked all alone. He hoped that she wouldn't remain lonely for long, and vowed to try and stop by every few days or so to check in on her. With that, Steven left the room, the hall, and the hospital, hoping for a long night, more like early morning, of sleep.

...MLB...

AN: Hey... Here is the update... Yup.

Btw, someone asked, I am in marching band, and I play the tenor sax! Didn't know that anyone would be interested, but someone did ask, so here. I'll try to update soon again. Bye! Reviews are appreciated. (:


	9. The news unleashed

A week come and gone, left Marinette still unresponsive and unconscious in the hospital. Adrien came to see her whenever he could, which was almost everyday, now that his father was trying to be kinder to him. The white hospital room had shifted to a slightly more tolerable place, but it was still Adrien's favorite and worse place. He could see Marinette there, but hated the fact that she had to he there.

The yellow roses were replaced, thankfully at a time Adrien wasn't there, he wouldn't know how to deal with Chloé. A blanket also appeared, the gifter was unknown, but Adrien let it stay, as he hoped it brought Marinette comfort.

Sighing, Adrien rubbed his tired face, and glanced at the gifts that seemed to line the edges of the room. The rumor-mill went wild a week ago, and led to the influx of gifts for Marinette.

...MLB...

Everyone was in shock because for, what seemed the first time, Chloé Bourgeois, was in trouble. Chloé didn't even look surprised when she was called to the office, and didn't even look like she was going to try and fight it.

Adrien glared at her as she left the room, and he truly hoped she got what she deserved.

Class seemed to go by slowly, with very few students actually being studious, with most trying to solve the mystery of Chloé's call to the principal. Alya, of course, was trying to get the scoop, and was chatting of Nino's ear, careful that the teacher wouldn't catch her, but Adrien just tuned out Alya's speculations.

The tid-bits that Adrien did hear made it very hard to work, he heard a "she deserves it!" and a "what'd she do?" followed by a "I'll have to find the scoop!" The more Adrien heard her talk, the more he shrunk into himself. Alya didn't know yet, how would she? Adrien was too scared to tell her, and he was actually worried by Alya's reaction to Marinette's absence. The first day, Alya was worried, but only for about the first half of the day. After that, she didn't bring it up once, which he found odd. And here she was today, not asking a single question, or even acknowledging the empty space next to her.

Adrien just tried to ignore the weird feeling he got when he thought of Alya's lack of response, and just let his mind focus on his science notes. He dully wondered if, just maybe, Chloé would come back to class or not. Not that it mattered to him though... he was determined to cut all ties with the blonde.

'She deserves it.'

...

Chloé was sitting in the chair across from her principal with a blank expression residing on her face, and Chloé showed no signs of resistance when lectured. Chloé didn't protest or deny the accusations of almost killing her classmate Marinette, she knew it was true. Luck must have been on Marinette's side, if you could call it luck, but yes, the girl was lucky to be alive. And who's fault was that again...? Right, Chloe's. Chloé only had herself to blame and she tried to shut up her conscience as she listened to her principle.

"Of all the things, I never... How a student could do this to another... How a human could do this to another..."

Yes, she knew. She was horrible. She was jealous. Chloé let her jealousy take ahold of her and what did she gain? Nothing, except a guilty conscience and nightmares.

"You ought to be charged, you should... Almost killing an innocent girl... We saw the security footage you know..."

Chloé did know. All this principle said, Chloé already knew. If it had been a different situation, Chloé would have been frustrated beyond her mind, but here and now, she had no room to be frustrated. Chloé didn't deserve those feelings... she had put a young, sweet, happy girl, into a unresponsive coma. Yeah, Chloé had no room to be emotional.

"Your fathers reputation is at stake here, and he is a good man, so I have already talked with him. You will not be attending this school any longer, Chloé Bourgeois. You are expelled, but for the sake of your record, your father has pleaded for us to put a different cause instead, so we are saying you are transferring schools. To where you will be transferring, I don't know, that is your father's decision, but you will surely no longer be attending school here Miss Bourgeois. You may get your things and leave now, and I do not want to hear that you have returned to the school. Do you understand Miss Bourgeois?"

Chloé nodded, and didn't grace the man with anything else, because she honestly didn't know if she could. Chloé stood, and left the room.

She walked the hallways of the school for a while, avoiding teachers so she wouldn't get in deeper trouble, but she did not return to her classroom. Chloé had been expecting this all week, so she had left her school bag at home, and only brought what she needed in her purse every day.

Why was Chloé getting nostalgic? Her just looking at the halls reminded her of the akuma infestation problem the school seemed to have, reminded her of her attempts to woo Adrien, to no effect of course, reminded her of a time where her only worry was if she looked fabulous, and if Adrien would notice the new lip gloss she was wearing that day. Those, those were easy times, simple times, she never... never thought it would come to this, but here Chloé was, standing at the top of her descent. Chloé was at the top of her metaphoric downfall, but it wasn't just that, it was Marinette's literal fall. Oh, how cruel life was. With a deep breath, and one last look into the hallways of her school, Chloé Bourgeois descended the staircase and left through the doors, never to be seen roaming those hallways again.

...

The next day, people noticed Chloe's absence, and the lack of explanation of her leave, that was, until they had an announcement in each class of the school.

"Okay class, I'm sure there has been some confusion as to the disappearance of two of your classmates, Chloé and Marinette. I have been told to inform you that Chloé Bourgeois is no longer attending this school, and is transferring to a private school, where she will continue to finish her schooling. On a different, and more serious note, I would like to talk to you about Marinette. I am sure most of you are curious or worried about her disappearance a week ago, and justly so. Marinette is currently staying in the hospital due to a tragic accident and almost fatal circumstances. I am unable to release any information other than the fact that she is in a coma, and has been in and out of a critical state. I'm sorry I have to bring this somber news, but I wanted to inform you of your classmate and friend."

The class just sat in disbelief at the news, excluding Adrien, and they all remained where they were after the final bell of the day.

Marinette? The sweet, clumsy, talented, brave girl was in the hospital?

Adrien was the one who startled everyone from their stupor as he gathered his things, stood up, and left the door. After he left, he heard commotion bursting in the room behind him, and he was glad he left in time. He honestly was clenching his knuckles so tight they turned white when the class was delivered the news, and he was even more frustrated at Alya's lack of response. Instead, Adrien vowed to confront Alya at a later time, and he sighed deeply as he got in his limo. Time to visit the flower shop, and then Marinette once again.

...

An: Hey guys... long time no see? Okay, okay, before any of you throw anything at me, I want to apologize for the lack of updates to the story. I haven't gotten into the writing mood until recently, and I'm busy with the holidays and school, but I really owe you guys, and I knew I needed to write more. This chapter was a weird one, as I had half of it written for weeks, but I just didn't know where I wanted to take it, or the story. I now have a clear idea of what I want for the story, and I actually have time, so I should be updating more frequently, that is until my finals start in January. Also, warning, in January I will likely be Mia, as I have finals and right after that, I'm transferring schools, so I hope you all understand. Thank you so much for the support, and I hope you all continue to enjoy the story. As usual, you may flame me, if you so desire, I would greatly appreciate reviews, critics, and questions, so yeah.

Ps. Someone pointed out the lack of Tikki, and to that, thank you for noticing, but the lack of her presence will be explained in a later chapter.

Okay, this is too long now.

-moorer3. (This has been edited)


	10. Confrontation

"Ayla..." Oh god, Adrien thought mid-sentence, he really should have thought this through..." can I talk to you?"

Alya looked up from her phone with a slightly confused expression, and just graced him with a small, "sure."

"Hey Nino, I'll be back in a sec," Alya told Nino, as she got up from the lunch table and followed Adrien.

Adrien didn't know exactly where to go, but then opted to go outside for their talk, knowing that nearly no-one had decided to eat outside today since there were dark clouds reigning the territory of the sky. The two walked in an odd silence, not necessarily awkward, but there was a bit of tension in the air. When they both got outside, Adrien turned to Alya, hoping he was mentally prepared for this conversation.

"Alya... yesterday the teachers told us about Marinette, as you know. But for almost a whole week, you didn't know where your best friend was. You didn't care, did you? I didn't hear you question about her except on the first day of her absence, and yesterday, every classmate went to the hospital, only excluding you and Chloé. To be blunt, what the heck is going on?"

Alya seemed unamused with the conversation as soon as she seemed to realize what it was about. Listening Adrien's points, Alya's lips got tighter and tighter as they pursed together. Her tone was filled with annoyance.

"Adrien, is this really all this is about? This is the reason you drug me outside right before it's about to storm? I have better things to be doing right now."

"Better things?" Adrien sputtered, "What do you better things? Your best friend is laying in the hospital, alone, having gone through multiple surgeries, with her parents unreachable in a different country! What is wrong with you?"

Alya scoffed as she listened to how angry he sounded. Didn't he know that there were more important things to think about?

"Adrien I don't know if you noticed, but Ladybug has been missing for over a week. There's been no akuma attacks, luckily, but she hasn't been to any patrols, as I can only spot Chat briefly flying across the roofs of Paris. So yes, Marinette is in the hospital, but the person we rely on most, to keep us and all of Paris safe, is gone, without a trace. She's more important! I've been investigating where she could have gone, but I can't find anything. My blogs basically empty, and people are freaking out!"

"You're serious? Your blog? That's what you're worried about? After being Marinette's friend, all you care about is your blog and Ladybug, who you've only met briefly, for maybe two minutes for a quick interview? You're giving up your best friend, just like that?"

Adrien had noticed ladybugs absence, but he realized there were more important things to worry about, things like Marinette. Sure he loved...no... liked Ladybug... as a partner. He noticed his feelings changed in the past week, and he truly liked Marinette, the girl who was sweet, bold, caring, and most of all, attainable. Not some girl he put on a pedestal, but a girl who was like him, his equal.

While he was thinking this, Alya had only seemed to give herself a second to think before she responded.

"Adrien you don't get it. The blog is important to me, and sure Marinette is too I guess, but Ladybug is more important. Ladybug the brave hero, the strong, confident girl who protects Paris alongside Chat Noir. Marinette? She's the girl who is too naïve, clumsy, and insignificant compared to Ladybug. What do you expect Adrien?"

Adrien just stood there, in utter disbelievement and shock. Alya had become cruel and uncaring, Adrien didn't know when, but this girl, who had befriended Marinette before he could, was just throwing her friendship in the Seine.

Alya seemed to take Adrien's silence as a dismissal, and she turned to leave, which seemed to startle Adrien out of his stupor.

Adrien decided to call out to her retreating back, "I expected you to be a better friend... No. A better person."

The only response Adrien got from the retreating figure, was a tightening of her shoulders, but other than that, Adrien didn't receive a response. When Alya had retreated back into the school and could no longer be seen, Adrien looked up to the dark sky, just as a single raindrop dropped on his face.

"Ha... How cliché..."

...

The final bell rang, releasing Adrien from the school, and he quickly left, only saying goodbye to Nino before he rushed off. Adrien basically sprinted down the stairs, jumping the bottom few, and fast walked his way back outside, where it was raining. His limo would be there any minute, but he let himself stand in the rain, where he had once before. The only problem, this time he was alone, and there was no umbrella, no friendship kindling in Marinette's gaze, there was only the patter of cold rain dropping on his surroundings. Adrien let himself remember making one of his first friends, Marinette, out in the rain, and he wished he could go back and protect her. Maybe, he would even avoid the whole gum situation from the start, so they could become friends even sooner.

He heard the horn honk from his limo, and he lowered his neck down to where he was no longer facing the gray sky, and walked towards the limo with a small smile on his face. It was nice to remember that day, and personally, no matter how cliché rain could be, maybe it wasn't so bad.

"Adrien! Into the limo, come on, come on! You'll catch a cold!"

Adrien's smile widened a little as he heard Natalie's fretting. Listening to Natalie, he slid into his seat and closed the door, and let himself gaze out of the window on the ride home. Nothing eventful happened, just Adrien being informed that he had a photo shoot promoting a new line for an intern of his father's, but he was okay with it, because the girl had been very nice to him in previous shoots. Although, the shoot would mean he would miss visitation hours at the hospital... As much as Adrien wanted to see Marinette, he had to do this, heck, give himself a small break from the hectic life he seemed to now own.

When Adrien arrived at his house, he walked into his father's office to greet him and exchange some small talk about his day until his father informed him that he had to take an important call, but made sure to smile and promise Adrien that they would talk more over dinner. Adrien nodded and took that as his dismissal, so he turned and walked the long hallways until he reached his room and stepped inside.

Plagg immediately flew out of Adrien's pocket, and rushed towards the plate of cheese that was on Adrien's table.

"Mmmmmmhm oh my sweet, smelly cheese. So delicious!"

Despite Adrien hating the smell of the cheese, he laughed at Plagg's antics. Some things just don't change, and that made Adrien happy that something hadn't changed in the past week and a half. Before all of this, Adrien would have never guessed that everything would have changed this fast, except for when his mom disappeared, but at least Adrien had come to terms with that.

"Haha okay Plagg. I was wondering, do you want to go to the shoot? I know it's dangerous having you away, but hawkmoth has been inactive for a while and there are no high tensions in the area. It's your choice, whatever you feel is best."

Plagg quickly replied that they would be fine, and that he would remain with his cheese and behave. Adrien laughed once again, changed into dry clothes, and left to go model at the shoot, leaving Plagg alone at the house.

Plagg was finally alone, and could go talk to Tikki. First, he had to prepare, so he carefully floated his way to the kitchen, careful to avoid being seen by any personnel or security cameras, and grabbed a small tin of cookies that he could carry. While in the kitchen, he got some plastic wrap, and formed a hoop fo sorts with it, so he wouldn't get wet in the rain. When Plagg secured the hood and cookies, he carefully left the mansion, and flew himself to the hospital. The journey there was a difficult process, as he had to avoid people, cameras, and dropping the cookies, which he almost did do, but he eventually snuck his way into the hospital and into Marinette's room. Thankfully, none of Marinette's classmates were there, so the room was empty excluding Marinette herself, and Tikki.

"Tikki? You in here?"

He saw a red blur zoom out from behind Marinette's pillow, and braced himself for impact as Tikki flew towards him to give a hug.

"Plagg! What are you doing here alone? Where's Adrien? How did you get here?"

"Hey Tikki, we have time to talk about that in a minute, but I'm really tired, and I'm sure you're really hungry, so let's sit and talk."

Tikki nodded enthusiastically and floated to the nightstand with the roses, with Plagg following her. As soon as Plagg set the tin of cookies down, Tikki was inside grabbing a cookie and devouring it in one bite. Plagg just watched her, and waited for her to finish so they could talk. After about two minutes, all the cookies and crumbs had been eaten, making it time for the two kawami's to get serious and talk.

"So Tikki, I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"Yeah... We need to figure out the reason behind Hawkmoth's absence, and what we are going to do about it, right?"

Plagg nodded, "that's what I was thinking. Also, what if Hawkmoth does return, and Marinette is still unresponsive? We need a plan."

"That's a good point... I'm not sure what we would do if he comes back with an akuma all of a sudden..."

"Well, I do need to get an important matter out of the way, I've eliminated Adrien's dad from being Hawkmoth. I know you had your theory, but I've watched him for a whole day, only leaving him alone when he went to the bathroom, and he didn't once create an akuma or anything. And, on the day I was watching him, someone got akumatized that day. It can't be him."

Tikki let out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad we don't have to worry about that at the final battle then. It would have complicated matters with him being Adrien's father and Marinette's role model... but now we have no ideas who it is... or why he hasn't been attacking lately."

"A valid point, in which I have mulled over, but I can't think of anything. Well, I have thought of one thing, and I think it's time."

Tikki nodded solemnly, and at the both time they said,

"We need to see Master Fu."

...

AN: hey! Here's the latest update, and I want to thank you guys for following, favoriting, and reviewing! I hope I get more reviews, it helps tell me what I need to work on, or if people like the chapter, but I'll wait, and I'm definitely not going to beg. In this chapter I tried to put some light angst, with some plot, and some hope at the same time! I was just really in the writing mood, and this chapter will be an important part. In this chapter, I decided who I was going to make Hawkmoth, and I can't wait to follow the path I've chosen! I'm transferring schools the week after next, so I'm not sure when I am next updating, but i will try to make the wait short! Please review, and thanks for reading!


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